The 14th amendment is designed to constitutionalize the rights of the civil rights act of 1866. The 14th Amendment wrote the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom and equality into the Constitution.Ratified in 1868, Congress and the courts have applied the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause to many aspects of public life over the past 150 years. Section Five of the Fourteenth Amendment vests Congress with the authority to adopt "appropriate" legislation to enforce the other parts of the Amendment. - Students will understand the struggles of African Americans in the "New South" during Reconstruction. The Citizenship Clause granted citizenship to All persons born or naturalized in the United States. The proposed legislation directly contradicts the 14th Amendment guarantee that all people born in the US and under its jurisdiction are citizens of the US. US Constitution, 14th Amendment, § 1. It also protects against unequal treatment based on reproductive healthcare and autonomy. Race, Voting, and a Gaping Loophole: A Critical Look at the 14th Amendment. 08.13.